Morning Notes

VA Senate Panel Advances “Love Shack” Bill — A state Senate panel unanimously advanced a bill proposed by Sen. Adam Ebbin (D) that would repeal the Virginia law making it illegal for unmarried couples to live together. Currently, cohabitation by unmarried couples is a misdemeanor under the law, which went into effect in 1877. [Washington Post]

Board Accepts Grant to Fight Childhood Obesity — The County Board has accepted a state grant worth $25,000 to fund a Healthy Meals for Healthy Families program at Carlin Springs Elementary School, intended to fight childhood obesity. The program will include weekly hands-on classes in healthy food preparation and healthy eating for at-risk third, fourth and fifth graders and their families. “[The grant] will fund a program at Carlin Springs Elementary that will not only educate our children and families – but ultimately change behaviors to promote life-long healthy eating and healthy living,” said Board Chairman Walter Tejada. [Arlington County]

APS Makes EPA’s Green Power Purchasers List — Arlington Public Schools has come in at number five on the Environmental Protection Agency’s list of the Top 20 K-12 green power purchasers. APS meets six percent of its electricity use by purchasing more than 3,000,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power each year. “Utilizing green power helps us become more sustainable, while also sending a message to others across the U.S. that supporting clean sources of electricity is a sound business decision and an important choice in reducing climate risk,” said APS Superintendent Dr. Pat Murphy. “Most importantly, this conveys to our students the important role and responsibility that all of us have in safeguarding our environment today and in the future.” [Arlington Public Schools]

Board Promises to Hear PenPlace Concerns — At its meeting on Saturday (January 26), the County Board assured concerned residents that their voices will be heard in regards to the proposed PenPlace development. Board member Chris Zimmerman refuted claims by opponents that there wouldn’t be a serious review of the Pentagon City project. The plan involves developing 10 acres of mostly vacant land into a complex of 12 to 22 story buildings. [Sun Gazette]

“Currently, cohabitation by unmarried couples is a misdemeanor under the law, which went into effect in 1877.”

I wonder if this is actually enforced.

Swag

Not for a while, but it seems like a perfect “Well, I’ve got to charge them with something” law for cops.

Vicente Fox

It will be interesting to see how many “small-government” Republicans vote against repeal.

novasteve

Vicente Fox, is there a “Department of Cohabitation” to enforce it like how the left creates physically bigger government to impose their ways? A law isn’t “big government”. The apparatus created to enforce it IS.

drax

But steve, you are the one always complaining about “liberals” controllling our lives.

So if you prefer, let’s put it this way: It will be interesting to see how many “liberals-are-controlling-our-lives” Republicans vote against repeal.

Better?

Do you want to repeal this law, steve? Do you think most liberals will vote to keep and conservatives will vote to repeal?

drax

Still waiting for a (straight) answer.

CourthouseChris

Whoa whoa whoa, “physically bigger”? You object to the physical size of government? How do you measure that, volumetrically, surface area, or some 2-dimensional projection? So if every federal worker lost a few pounds, that’d be an improvement to the physical size of the government in your book? Maybe the police should trade in their Crown Vics for Fiat 500′s?

PaulB

I heard they are taking over a whole new building in Court House.

drax

Maybe the government needs a government grant to stop it’s own obesity.

South Awwlington

Your punctuation marks are a mess. Please enclose them with quotation marks when ending your sentence with quotes.

Buckingham Beauty

Actually, this is not true when you’re using quotation marks for a phrase rather than a direct quote. In this case, the end punctuation does outside the quotation marks.

Buckingham Beauty

*goes

soarlslacker

Pen Place–Shoving thousands more cars into a neighborhood that can’t handle the cars already here. When the 10 block treck out of the neighborhood takes 15-20 minutes there are too many cars in a too small congested space.

YTK

And more people flushing– hope that doesn;t have any negative bearing (sewage flood) on the Pentagon Row Harris Teeter like it did at the one in Potmac Yards.

drax

Need a trolley!

Way too easy.

DrOz

Shouldn’t the program Healthy Meals for Healthy Families be renamed to something more along the lines of Health Meats to Fight Childhood Obesity. Otherwise it sounds like the grant is funding meals to families who are already fit.

DrOz

I meant Healthly Meals to Fight Childhood Obesity

Ren

Off topic – that’s a great picture. Great job and compliments to the photographer!

Roquer

I’ve been in Arlington since 1957. Surely there would’ve been one arrest! But I don’t think so. I’d bet its mostly used in employee disciplinary actions.

Rory

Where do you get these pictures?

Arlingtonian

It is important for every Virginian to recognize that if the Commonwealth repeals its law prohibiting co-habitation, palimony suits will become legal in the Commonwealth. The lawyers and gold-diggers will reap a windfall profit. Anyone cohabiting with a person having a lower income will risk losing much of his or her life savings and property, exactly as when a marriage ends in divorce because one party wants money.